Beijing 23 July : Heavy downpours that pounded Henan province and left at least 33 dead and eight missing drifted northward on Thursday, causing a trail of destruction in other cities.

As of 4 am on Thursday, torrential rain had affected about 3 million people in Henan province, and 376,000 had been relocated to safe places, according to the provincial emergency management department.

More than 215,200 hectares of crops were damaged, with a direct economic loss of about 1.22 billion yuan ($188.7 million), according to Xinhua News Agency.

The Henan provincial meteorological observatory activated the highest level of rainstorm alert at 11 am on Thursday because rainfall was expected to continue for the next few hours in a number of cities, including Anyang, Hebi, Xinxiang and Jiaozuo.